Sexually Active Teens Miss Chance to Prevent Spina Bifida

March 23, 2000 (Arlington, Va.) -- Young women aren't getting a powerful
prevention message that could spare their babies from neural tube defects such
as spina bifida that are linked to a vitamin deficiency. A study done on
sexually active women, primarily blacks and Hispanics in Houston, shows that
relatively few are consuming enough folic acid either through diet or folic
acid supplements.

"We're not doing enough. The messages really aren't out there," says
lead investigator Mariam Chacko, MD, of the department of pediatrics at the
Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. She presented her findings at an
adolescent medicine conference here this week.

Deficiency of a B vitamin called folic acid prior to getting pregnant has
been linked to birth defects known as neural tube defects (NTDs). The most
common and well-known NTD is spina bifida. These disorders occur when the tube
that covers the spinal column fails to develop properly. This defect can result
in spina bifida, miscarriage, and even a condition where very little brain and
spinal cord develops. About half of NTDs are linked to folic acid deficiency,
something entirely preventable with proper diet or supplements.

The study was based on the results of a questionnaire given to about 200
women between the ages of 13 and 22 seeking services at reproductive health
clinics. The majority of the women had at least heard of folic acid. However,
Chacko found that only 12% of the patients were taking a daily multivitamin
containing the recommended folic acid dose of 400 micrograms. At the same time,
86% of the women ate no foods that could be described as folate rich, such as
fortified cereals, spinach, liver, or orange juice, during a week's study
period. About one-third said they did consume at least one folate-rich food per
week.

Chacko tells WebMD she was surprised at the high number of teens not eating
folate-rich foods.

It's important for teens or any woman who might have a child to get enough
folic acid, either through foods or vitamins, because by the time a pregnancy
is discovered, it's too late to prevent a neural tube defect, says Chacko.